In The Fire; Your Faith Is Being Tested
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. for I am the Lord you God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you (Isaiah 43:1-4)."
The Lord showed me these verses several years ago when I was deep in the valley. Ever since that time, I have clung to these same verses whenever I face a trial. Read them again and let them sink into your heart. These words are for you right now in whatever impossible situation or heartache you may be facing. God promises that when we walk through the fire, we will NOT be burned and when we go through the rivers, they won't sweep over us. Or in other words, this difficult situation you are in right now, will not destroy you because God is with you and will carry you through. And because you, my friend, are precious and honored in God's sight. He loves you so much. This love of His has nothing to do with your circumstances. In fact, God in His mercy and sovereignty has allowed it to happen, not to break you, but to cause you to totally lean on Him and to realize He is your source of life and of hope.
When we face difficulties in this life, that is when our faith is tested. Sure, it is easy to praise God and talk about how good He is when things are going well, but what about the times when life is really hard? The times when you don't think you can even take another step? God is STILL good and ALL, not just some, but ALL of His ways are just, perfect and right. I am not saying the situation itself is good, but God is using this present difficulty to strengthen you in Him and to grow your faith. If we never went through hard times we would most likely become self-dependent, to the point that we may even think we don't need God.
It is in the difficult seasons of life, that we come to realize we are not in control and we simply cannot fix the problem on our own. We have a choice to make: Are we going to believe God and take Him at His word even when we cannot see or are we going to keep striving and trying to do life without God? It is when we look to the Lord and get in His word, that our faith begins to grow and mature. In fact, when we go through trials, we are to consider it pure joy. Not that the trial is in itself joyful, but because our character is being developed and perseverance is being produced in us. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its works so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4)." God is not a God of disorder, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33), so there is a divine purpose for everything that He does. And because He is a good and loving, holy and just Father, everything He does is for our good and His glory! His plan is always good, perfect and pleasing (Romans 12:2).
We are not always going to understand why things happen this side of eternity, however, we can know, without a doubt, that the loving, merciful God that calls us out of darkness and into light, the God who sent His precious Son to die in our place, will indeed walk with us through every storm we face in this life. When faced with opposition, heartache, loss, sickness or sadness, remember God's character. He does not change-He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is compassionate, perfect, kind, loving, true, and righteous in all His ways. He is the mighty healer, lover of our soul and He is holy.
Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and the fact that if you belong to Him, your eternity is forever sealed. On that day, He will wipe away every tear from your eyes. All wrongs will be made right and we will be with Him forever and ever-in a place where there is no more sadness, sickness, sin or death (Revelation 21:3-4).
Hold on to the hope you have in Christ Jesus! He is coming back to call His children home!
"To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father-to Him be glory, and power for ever and ever! Amen. Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen. I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:5-8)."
The Lord showed me these verses several years ago when I was deep in the valley. Ever since that time, I have clung to these same verses whenever I face a trial. Read them again and let them sink into your heart. These words are for you right now in whatever impossible situation or heartache you may be facing. God promises that when we walk through the fire, we will NOT be burned and when we go through the rivers, they won't sweep over us. Or in other words, this difficult situation you are in right now, will not destroy you because God is with you and will carry you through. And because you, my friend, are precious and honored in God's sight. He loves you so much. This love of His has nothing to do with your circumstances. In fact, God in His mercy and sovereignty has allowed it to happen, not to break you, but to cause you to totally lean on Him and to realize He is your source of life and of hope.
When we face difficulties in this life, that is when our faith is tested. Sure, it is easy to praise God and talk about how good He is when things are going well, but what about the times when life is really hard? The times when you don't think you can even take another step? God is STILL good and ALL, not just some, but ALL of His ways are just, perfect and right. I am not saying the situation itself is good, but God is using this present difficulty to strengthen you in Him and to grow your faith. If we never went through hard times we would most likely become self-dependent, to the point that we may even think we don't need God.
It is in the difficult seasons of life, that we come to realize we are not in control and we simply cannot fix the problem on our own. We have a choice to make: Are we going to believe God and take Him at His word even when we cannot see or are we going to keep striving and trying to do life without God? It is when we look to the Lord and get in His word, that our faith begins to grow and mature. In fact, when we go through trials, we are to consider it pure joy. Not that the trial is in itself joyful, but because our character is being developed and perseverance is being produced in us. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its works so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4)." God is not a God of disorder, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33), so there is a divine purpose for everything that He does. And because He is a good and loving, holy and just Father, everything He does is for our good and His glory! His plan is always good, perfect and pleasing (Romans 12:2).
We are not always going to understand why things happen this side of eternity, however, we can know, without a doubt, that the loving, merciful God that calls us out of darkness and into light, the God who sent His precious Son to die in our place, will indeed walk with us through every storm we face in this life. When faced with opposition, heartache, loss, sickness or sadness, remember God's character. He does not change-He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is compassionate, perfect, kind, loving, true, and righteous in all His ways. He is the mighty healer, lover of our soul and He is holy.
Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and the fact that if you belong to Him, your eternity is forever sealed. On that day, He will wipe away every tear from your eyes. All wrongs will be made right and we will be with Him forever and ever-in a place where there is no more sadness, sickness, sin or death (Revelation 21:3-4).
Hold on to the hope you have in Christ Jesus! He is coming back to call His children home!
"To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father-to Him be glory, and power for ever and ever! Amen. Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen. I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:5-8)."
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